We San Franciscans oppose District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener for consideration as the newly elected president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors or for any Committee Chair position in 2013. The Board President needs to embrace and adhere to the Sunshine Ordinance and conduct all city business with full transparency, as well as understand the California Constitution, which states: “All political power is inherent in the people. Government is instituted for their protection, security, and benefit, and they have the right to alter or reform it when the public good may require.”

Contrary to the spirit and letter of this Constitutional right, Sup. Wiener proposed a failed Charter amendment in 2011 that would have enabled the Board of Supervisors and/or Mayor to repeal and amend voter-approved initiatives and to legislate expiration dates for voter-approved initiative measures.

Sup. Wiener has repeatedly introduced legislation that has ignited citizen opposition to the point of filling the board chambers to capacity, and subsequently having to amend his legislation. His lack of leadership to mediate issues, build consensus, and engage full community participation in his own district has created community division and abrupt changes in policy on issues of public seating, community input on the use of the Rainbow Flag on city property, and freedom of expression. A federal law suit against the City has been filed in opposition to one of his recent bans.

Currently he is proposing City legislation that would weaken the CA Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and another law to allow up to 2,000 tenancies-in-common to fast track to condo conversion, which will encourage more evictions and displacement of low-income tenants.

Wiener's pattern is to promote legislation that would “streamline city business" but the devil is often in the details. Any opposition to his proposals is met with cynicism and disregard, e.g., his remarks: "Today you'll hear quite a bit of hyperbolic rhetoric about how this legislation somehow undermines or guts (the CEQA) and how it will cause the sky to collapse onto the earth." These types of remarks do not encourage public comment/review, nor befit the demeanor required of a board president or committee chair.

We urge the 2013 Board of Supervisors to select a board president and committee chairs who solicit and respect community input, honor full disclosure, avoid complicated and unnecessary legislation, and have independence from the Mayor’s Office to ensure proper checks and balances with the citizens’ business.